Teamsters, Pasco County hit impasse in contract talks

NEW PORT RICHEY — Three years after Pasco County workers voted to form a union, they still don’t have a contract.

The Teamsters Local 79 declared impasse for the second time last Friday, which means both sides will again plead their case to a special magistrate.

John Sholtes, lead negotiator for the union, said the two sides are hung up on two major disagreements regarding discipline and overtime pay. He accused the county administration of being “completely unreasonable.”

In 2011, a special magistrate ruled in favor of the union on virtually every disputed item. The county’s labor attorney accused him of bias and refused to adhear to his recommendations.

“The union negotiating committee has bent over backwards to get this deal done,” Sholtes said.

The Teamsters represent 1,100 Pasco employees — more than half of the county’s total workforce. They are slated to receive pay raises this year for the first time in six years.